The museum, which was the pet project of founders Pete and Suzanne Parish, attracts not only aviation geeks but families with young children and anyone else who wants to have a little fun.

What was Ellis’ secret to success in his 35 years at the Air Zoo? Maybe it was that he was not a museum guy who came in with a set parameters about what a museum could be or should be, but rather he came to the museum as an aviation mechanic, a guy who simply loved airplanes and was willing to try anything possible to help share his love of planes and flying.

As he said in an interview, “Quite simply, we broke all the rules.”

Bob, thanks for breaking the rules – and building a valuable part of the community.